Creating T-Shirts On Redbubble: A Step-By-Step Guide

Redbubble is a marketplace where independent artists can upload their designs and have them printed on various products, including T-shirts. Artists can set up their own profiles and add new designs to their shop, choosing from a range of products to apply their designs to. When creating a T-shirt design, it's important to use high-resolution files and consider the placement of the design on the shirt. Redbubble offers a range of printing techniques, including direct-to-garment printing and sublimation printing, ensuring long-lasting and high-quality prints. Artists can also take advantage of Redbubble's promotional tools to share their work on social media and reach a wider audience.

Design placement: 2 from the collar or at the top of the uploader/template

When designing a T-shirt on Redbubble, it's important to consider how your design will be placed on the shirt. You can position your design in many ways using a template or the uploader tool. However, there are some best practices for design placement.

Most shirt designs are printed around 2 inches down from the collar. If you place your design lower, it may not look as striking as it does when placed closer to the collar. This is due to the way the design interacts with the shape of the torso. Using a template set at 2400px wide by 3200px high makes this easy, as setting your design at the top of the file will put it in this sweet spot when printing.

For narrow designs, you should aim for the upper chest area, which is around 2-2.5 inches down from the top of the collar. When adjusting the uploader, pay close attention to how it's positioned and aim for this area. A well-placed design looks more striking and will attract more attention, which means more potential buyers.

When uploading your design, consider the following:

• Use the highest resolution files possible. Crisp and clean files will make your designs look better and will impress your customers.
• The file you upload will apply to all shirt styles that are not printed using dye-sublimation, such as chiffon tops, contrast tanks, and graphic tees.
• Upload a file using the maximum dimensions of 2400px wide by 3200px high. This will allow your design to look sharp on every available shirt style and give you the flexibility to scale the design as needed when adjusting in the uploader.
• Make sure your design is transparent and clean. Before exporting your print-ready PNG file, ensure that only the portions you want to be printed are included.
• Understand the printing technique used. Direct to Garment (DTG) printing is used for light-coloured shirts, and designs will be printed as they appear in your file. For dark garments, designs are printed on top of a white base layer, so artwork with opacity set to anything other than 100% may not come out as intended.

Design size: 2400px wide by 3200px high

When designing a T-shirt on Redbubble, it is important to follow the platform's image size guidelines to ensure your artwork looks its best. The recommended dimensions for a Redbubble T-shirt design are 2400px wide by 3200px high. This ensures that your design will be crisp and clear when printed on the fabric.

Using a template with these dimensions makes positioning your design much easier. Ideally, you want your design to fill up most of the width of the template and be placed towards the top, around 2-2.5" down from the collar. This will make it more striking and help attract potential buyers.

When it comes to file formats, Redbubble supports JPEG and PNG files for T-shirt designs. PNG is often preferred as it supports transparency, allowing for more intricate designs without a visible background.

It is also important to use high-resolution files as they look and function better. This will ensure your design looks sharp, vibrant, and professional when printed on a T-shirt.

Additionally, consider using vector graphics, as they can be scaled up or down without losing quality. Test different colour combinations, as colours may appear differently on screen compared to when printed on fabric.

Finally, preview your design using Redbubble's product preview feature to see how it will look on different T-shirt colours and sizes. This will help you identify any issues and make any necessary adjustments before finalising your design.

File type: transparent and clean PNG

When creating a T-shirt design for Redbubble, it is important to use a transparent and clean PNG file. This file type allows for transparent backgrounds, which gives your design a more exciting look and is also necessary for certain products like stickers.

To create a transparent background, you can use different layers for new elements, shapes, or colours in your digital artwork. This way, you can easily hide the background layer and export the main artwork with a transparent background. If your design was scanned or made in a program that doesn't use layers, you can use tools like the Magic Wand and Quick Selection tools in Photoshop to remove the background.

When preparing your PNG file, ensure that only the portions you want to be printed are included. Create a new layer and clean up any stray pixels. You can also place/paint all new pixels on their own layer above a solid colour layer, then export the design layer as a PNG.

Additionally, use the highest resolution files possible, as they will look and function better. For Redbubble, the recommended dimensions are 2400px wide by 3200px high. This will ensure your design looks sharp and can be scaled to fit different shirt styles.

Remember to also consider the placement of your design on the shirt. Generally, shirt designs are printed around 2" down from the collar, as this allows the design to stand out and interact with the shape of the torso more effectively.

By following these instructions, you can create clean and professional-looking T-shirt designs for Redbubble, utilising the transparent and clean PNG file type to its full potential.

Print type: direct-to-garment or sublimation printing

When it comes to printing, Redbubble offers two types: direct-to-garment and sublimation printing. Basic apparel is made using direct-to-garment printing, which involves applying a pre-treatment to the garment before it is loaded into the printer. This pre-treatment ensures that the prints sink into the fibres of the textile, making them more durable than traditional 'transfer' prints, which just sit on top.

Direct-to-garment printing is ideal for light-coloured shirts, as all pixels will be printed as they appear in your design file. However, designs printed on dark garments will be printed on top of a white base layer, so artwork with opacity set to anything other than 100% may not come out as intended.

The full-bleed range, including graphic t-shirts, leggings, scarves and A-line dresses, are created using sublimation printing. This technique uses heat to turn ink into gas, which then combines with polyester textiles. As the ink becomes part of the material's structure, the images won't fade or crack, even after multiple washes.

Design ideas: typographic, minimal, and gradient effects

Typographic, minimal, and gradient effects can be a great way to make your T-shirt design stand out. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Typographic Designs:

• Choose a quote or phrase that inspires you or conveys a message you want to share with the world. It could be something motivational, funny, or related to a specific theme or cause you care about. Play around with different fonts and text layouts to create a visually appealing composition.
• Create a typographic portrait or illustration. For example, you could use words to create the silhouette of a person, an animal, or an object.
• Experiment with different font styles, such as vintage, retro, or hand-lettered fonts, to evoke a particular era or theme. For instance, a design inspired by the Roaring '20s or the retro groove of the '80s.
• Combine typography with illustrations or other design elements to create a dynamic composition.

Minimalist Designs:

• Focus on simplicity and negative space. Sometimes, less is more when it comes to T-shirt designs.
• Use clean, simple lines and shapes to create a minimalist geometric design. This could be an abstract pattern or a more representational image, such as a mountain or a tree.
• Opt for a monochromatic colour palette or limit your colour choices to create a sleek, understated look.
• Incorporate nature-inspired elements, such as leaves, flowers, or other botanical illustrations.
• Explore line art illustrations, such as a simple outline of an owl or another animal.

Gradient Effects:

• Use gradients and fades in your designs, but be mindful that these may not translate exactly when printed on dark-coloured shirts.
• Combine gradients with other design elements, such as typography or illustrations, to create a unique effect.
• Try using halftones in your gradient designs, which will allow for more than one printing technique and ensure your gradients print as intended.
• Experiment with different colour combinations to create eye-catching gradients that complement your overall design.

Remember to use high-resolution files and pay attention to the placement of your design on the shirt. Also, keep in mind that complicated designs may not have the same impact as simpler, more focused ones.

Frequently asked questions